Two alleged drug traffickers were killed on Tuesday following a U.S. military attack on a vessel suspected of transporting drugs in the Eastern Pacific.
The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, confirmed that the operation was carried out “at the direction of President Donald Trump” and targeted a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO).
The attack, described as "kinetic and lethal," took place in international waters and did not result in casualties among U.S. forces.
According to Hegseth, military intelligence had identified the vessel as part of a drug trafficking network that utilizes Pacific maritime routes to smuggle narcotics into the United States.
“We will locate and destroy all vessels attempting to traffic drugs into our country. No cartel terrorist stands a chance against our armed forces,” warned Hegseth on his official X account, sharing a video of the attack along with the post.
Since his return to the White House, the Trump administration has intensified a strategy of direct force against drug trafficking, authorizing military actions without Congressional approval.
The president himself recently stated that he will not request a formal declaration of war against the cartels, which his administration considers foreign terrorist organizations.
"Just let's kill those who introduce drugs into our country," Trump said last month during a roundtable on national security.
Tuesday's attack would be at least the sixteenth against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Pacific since January, with an estimated toll of 66 dead.
Human rights organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Constitutional Rights, have questioned the legality of these attacks. According to Telemundo 31, its legal director, Baher Azmy, stated that “no president can order airstrikes without judicial oversight or a declaration of war.”
Despite the criticisms, the Trump administration has reiterated that protecting the homeland and eliminating the threat posed by cartels will remain "the highest national priority."
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